Saturday, 17 December 2016

Recent research has shown that Buddhist meditation can not only affect long-term behavior, but can actually alter the structure of the brain (1, 2, 3, 4).

So how does something as non-physical as the attention developed during meditation affect physical structures of the brain? According to the mechanistic materialist worldview, this sort of 'downward-causation' (mind over matter) shouldn't happen. To a materialist, mental activities result from physical processes, not vice versa.

One possible mechanism for downward causation has been suggested by physicist Henry Stapp, who proposed that the Quantum Zeno Effect allows the observer to hold patterns of energy states in a stable condition where they would normally, if left unobserved, decay randomly .

The Quantum Zeno effect (also known as the Turing paradox) is a situation in which an unstable quantum system, if observed continuously, will never decay. One can "freeze" the evolution of the system by measuring it frequently enough in its known initial state.

A watched quantum state never changes

The prolonged processes of attention in Buddhist meditation are good candidates for the kind of mental activities that could affect the physical state of microscopic brain structures.

Monday, 12 December 2016

"The history of Buddhism and of psychedelics in American culture follow a surprisingly similar trajectory from the 1950s through the present-day.

But perhaps this shouldn't come as a surprise, given that they share a common aim: the liberation of the mind.

Many of the thinkers who turned to Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies in the 1960s -- including Alan Watts, Jack Kerouac, Aldous Huxley, Allen Ginsberg and Ram Dass -- were influenced in some way by their experiences with LSD and other psychedelic drugs.

American Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield said that LSD, "prepares the mind for Buddhism," while Allan Watts described both practices as being part of a comprehensive philosophical quest.

Now, more than 60 years later, we're seeing a resurgence of popular interest in Buddhism -- with mindfulness meditation now firmly entrenched in the cultural mainstream -- and also in psychedelics, which are being investigated as therapeutic agents for mental health issues including depression, anxiety and addiction.

The intersection of these practices raises a number of questions: Are psychedelics an obstruction to a Dharma practice, or a helpful accompaniment? Are mind-altering substances a legitimate means of personal transformation..." Read it all here

Thursday, 1 December 2016

Most religions have no foundation apart from the ‘truths’ revealed long ago by the voices of the gods to a collection of prophets.

When different voices of different gods say different things to different prophets, then the only way to determine which version is correct is by war, persecution and terrorism, as the Islamic State so effectively demonstrates.

Thankfully, Buddhism is different. The Buddhist religion is based on two rational and verifiable foundations - a philosophy and a psychology. And the psychology is itself founded upon philosophy, as shown in the diagram.

The diagram illustrates how these three major domains of Buddhism - Philosophy (blue), Psychology (green) and Religion (orange) - fit together, with their components and interfaces.

LOGIC The foundation of Buddhist philosophy is a logical analysis of phenomena, which radically deconstructs how things exist, and also how we think things exist.

Deconstructing how things exist reveals that all phenomena are ultimately processes, and no thing or substance is capable of permanent existence, or existence 'from its own side'. This is the basis of Buddhist METAPHYSICS.

The conclusion reached from the study of epistemology is that our distorted view of the world gives rise to DELUSIONS, especially the three mental poisons of aversion, attachment and ignorance. Eradication of these three biologically based poisons, and prevention of their resultant actions, is one of the principle aspects of Buddhist ETHICS. One of the main ways of reducing and eventually eradicating delusions is by the practice of MEDITATION, especially meditation on emptiness.

ETHICS and DELUSIONS are thus at a triple interface between philosophy, psychology and those aspects of Buddhism that people from Judeo-Christian cultural traditions would more readily recognise as religious.

Unlike other religions, rather than aiming to placate or appease jealous gods, ritual practices are intended to produce changes in the minds of the practitioners, resulting in the ability to step outside the system of the Samsaric world (TRANSCENDENCE).

Thus Buddhist art and ritual practices are intended to facilitate mental realisations, mystical experiences and ultimately the recognition of ones own Buddha-nature. Hence they are each shown as interfaces, with one end in religion, and the other in psychology.

Components which are primarily religious are the SANGHA, which is the community of Buddhist practitioners in its widest sense, including both ordained and lay persons organised as traditional congregations in dharma centers, or increasingly nowadays as online communities of people who may not have easy access to a center. These geographically scattered Sangha often meet up for FESTIVALS.Another major component of Buddhism is the large collection of NARRATIVES, ranging from historical accounts of the lives of major Buddhist teachers, including the Buddha himself, to the various parables such as the Jataka tales and Zen stories.

For a detailed discussion of the rational foundations of Buddhism see Buddhist Philosophy.- Sean Robsville

"The Nikaya Dhamma Society was founded to preserve and expound historical and orthodox Buddhism. While we do not normally endorse presidential candidates or involve ourselves in the political process, in this case we are compelled to make an exception. Donald Trump stands out alone among all the candidates for president of the United States as the one man speaking up against illegal immigration and the threat of radical Islam. He is the only candidate not afraid to take on political correctness and to offer the American people straight talk, repudiating dishonest political correctness. With great pleasure, we endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States.

Radical Islam continues to menace Buddhist Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand as well as Europe. Radical Islam does not seek understanding, dialogue or tolerance with other religions or cultures, it seeks only conquest. We can ignore this truth at our peril, or we can acknowledge it and respond accordingly. In the past Islam conquered several formerly Buddhist nations. Islam conquered Buddhist Indonesia, and Buddhist women and children were enslaved and raped by terrorist Muslim savages. Real Buddhists have never forgotten that fact, nor can we forgive these atrocious crimes.

Those in the conquered lands who were not murdered outright by Muslims were given the choice of conversion or death. Many Buddhist martyrs died rather than renounce Buddhism, while others hoped to preserve their lives by taking leave of their conscience and personal honor to join those who murdered their families and came to enslave their land. Radical Islam is not a religion, but a dangerous political ideology that seeks conquest, material gain, and the enslavement of others. It is at its core a hedonist ideology motivated by a lust for power, wealth, material goods, and sexual immorality.

Like Communism, radical Islam divides the world into two territories, those under its rule, and those lands which are not yet conquered. The end goal is the total enslavement of the world. For this reason, we must be ever vigilant against the threat that it represents to our freedom. We cannot compromise with it, and we cannot afford to ignore it. We must respond to this threat with absolute force, strength of will, and stalwart determination. If we fail to do so, we will be destroyed, our children will be taken from us, to be raped and enslaved, and human civilization on this planet will be destroyed forever. If our enemy wins, a fate far worse than death awaits us. Radical Islam must be destroyed from this planet. It is a cancer that must be cut off from humanity with a scalpel..." "...Real American Buddhists who love their country endorse Donald Trump!
Counterfeit fake “Buddhists” hate Trump because they are a bunch of
entitled, whiney, hippy pansies who want other people’s money, who hate
the successful, who delight in victim politics and who are blind to the
real threats this nation faces. They are adult children who never grew
up and who refuse to take responsibility for their lives and formulate a
serious worldview based on reality. They will vote for liberal
Democrats like a dog returning to his own vomit. Liberal fake
“Buddhists” are contemptible vermin! Real Buddhists delight in Donald
Trump’s candidacy. Let us pray for Donald Trump daily and for his
continued success. May our country prove worthy of such a fine man and
leader! Let’s make America great again!..."Read it all

Thursday, 27 October 2016

From Global Times"Li Shanshan, a 29-year-old girl in Beijing, sat quietly on the ground in a dimly lit room with light music floating through the air. Holding the plate in front of her, she opened her eyes. With a deep breath of the aromatic air, she grasped some food from it and took her first bite.

While she ate, she did not think about anything else. She put all of her attention toward the food. She takes her time to chew slowly, sense the vegetable's flavors and textures and observe how her body reacts to the food.

"It feels really different when I eat my food this way. I feel so relaxed and pleased. I can actually feel which food my body wants, if the food can give me more strength and if I want to eat more," Li said.

Li experienced this on Tuesday at the Beijing Mindfulness Center (BMC) in Dongcheng district, which provides classes and workshops on meditation to seek awareness of one's body and mind. Li first started to practice the method in September, and lost five kilograms after the first week.

"It's not just about losing weight. I am also healthier and in a better mood since I feel more in control of myself," Li said.

The practice of mindful eating has existed for over 3,000 years within Buddhism. Recently, it became more popular as a secular practice as the latest research has shown that practicing mindful eating has been directly related to the regulation of weight and fighting obesity, according to Dalida Turkovic from Serbia, the executive coach and founder of the BMC... "Read it all

Monday, 12 September 2016

"...Buddhists believe that Siddhartha attained a state that was free of conditions—things like upbringing, psychology, perceptions, opinions, presuppositions, and so on. To be Enlightened is to be Unconditioned, and a Buddha is free from conditioned responses such as prejudice, hatred, and greed. Rather, a Buddha is characterized by wisdom, compassion, and freedom. To be a Buddha is to see reality as it truly is. The word Buddha, in fact, is a title which means “one who is awake”—in essence, one who has completely awoken to reality..."

Friday, 9 September 2016

"Children should be taught Buddhist meditation techniques and yoga in schools to help them "unplug from their online world", a minister has said.

Edward Timpson, an education minister, said that schools across the country should start teaching "mindfulness" as a "normal part of the school day".

The meditative practice, which has its roots in Buddhism, encourages people to focus on the present, rather than on the anxieties of the past or future.

Speaking during a debate in Parliament, Mr Timpson warned that “children cannot unplug from their online world, and that is changing the shape of many of their relationships and the pressures that they come under at a much more tender age”.

He said that mindfulness is “a modern innovation born from the deepest traditions of meditation” and that schools and colleges using the technique will “to enable all children to enjoy good mental health and emotional wellbeing...”. More

Tuesday, 15 March 2016

"...The practice of mindfulness - which draws on Buddhist thinking - has become increasingly popular in recent years. There have been calls for brain-training techniques, using breathing to achieve mental clarity, to be introduced in schools.

In October, the Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Group said the practice should be made more widely available and recommended the Department for Education designate three schools to "pioneer mindfulness teaching and disseminate best practice".

Political author and former head of Wellington College Anthony Seldon has called for daily "stillness sessions" in schools, saying a decline in traditional religious assemblies has left students with little space for reflection in the school day.

So can mindfulness meditation really help pupils concentrate amid the distractions of 21st Century living? A group of BBC School Reporters from Connaught School for Girls in Leytonstone, east London, decided to investigate... "

"... At the end of the two week experiment, the results were positive. Those who had taken part in mindfulness meditation successfully completed the concentration task an average of 2.15 times more than before, while the results of the control group improved by just 0.69 times..."

Sunday, 21 February 2016

Can we break bad habits by being more curious about them? Judson
Brewer, MD, PhD, Director of Research at the Center for Mindfulness and
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine at the University of
Massachusetts Medical School studies the relationship between mindfulness
and addiction - from smoking to overeating to all those other things we do even
though we know they're bad for us. Learn more about the mechanism of habit
development and discover a simple but profound practice that might help you
beat your next urge to smoke, snack or check a text while driving.